Dearman is a ‘stencil’ brand owned by Dallas and Son, a prominent British saxophone importer. Known for importing saxophones from manufacturers in France, Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic, Dallas and Son was also responsible for the renowned Grafton saxophone in the 1950s. This particular Dearman ‘Master Model’ is a remarkably exact copy of a Conn 12M baritone like Conn made in the 1930s and 40s. It has the correct keywork, down to the spatula keys and palm key shapes, the X brace between bell and body tube, and the triangular keyguards (though the maker couldn’t resist embellishing them with a central circle, which I think looks nice! It’s hard to tell for sure who manufactured this, but it’s admirably done.

From the 1920s through the 40s, Conn saxophones set the standard for manufacturing worldwide, so any of a number of manufacturers might have put this kind of significant effort into copying what was (and still is) one of the best baritone saxophones ever made (the Conn 12M). My personal favorite baritone is still the 12M because it has a super rich, tenor like tone and feels easy on the neck and back to play for an extended period, and because it also tunes well and generally just makes people want to listen to the baritone saxophone. It’s hard to tell how much of the Conn magic made it into this baritone, as it is pretty leaky on current pads. If we get it to the ‘makes saxophone noises’ stage of playability, we will report back. This is the only one of these that I have ever seen, so if what you’d like is a beautifully clean, original lacquer example of a Conn 12M but for a heavily discounted price because it’s a European tribute to the Conn, then that’s what this is. Should be a great deal for someone. If you want us to overhaul it as part of a sale, please contact us. 

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